by G. E. Uke, Reporter

I went into Transformers One with trepidation, not knowing whether I’d see wacky computer-generated graphics or digital Megan Fox in booty shorts or what. And what I did see was, in my opinion, much more faithful to the spirit of Transformers than most of the other stuff out there. This writeup is complicated by the fact that I can’t provide spoilers or discuss the plot in great detail. But here are some things that I can say. 

The movie takes place on the original “homeworld” of the Transformers: a planet called Cybertron. Here, all life forms are robots that were created by an act of digital genesis initiated by an ancient god-robot. It’s the story of two simple mining robots, underdog nobodies who are goofy best friends. They are destined to become Optimus Prime and Megatron: mighty leaders locked in an endless war over ideology. So despite its badass action scenes and bursts of incredible comedy, the overall undertone of Transformers One is one of sadness and loss. The “heroes” inconsiderate impulsiveness and the “villains” deep sense of betrayal and resulting bitter self-determination are hard to watch. 

The voice actors in this movie are actually well known to us. Orion Pax is voiced by Chris Hemsworth (Thor) while Elita-1 is voiced by Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), so listening to the interplay between these old “Avengers” is very fun. D-16 is voiced by none other than Bryan Tyree Henry, which I thought was an excellent choice (Lemon from Bullet Train) because it gives him a lot of character. The transformer destined to become Bumblebee is voiced by Keegan-Michael Key (the police chief from Wonka), and the comedy he brings to the movie had the entire theater roaring on five occasions. 

Transformers was first released in 1984 by Hasbro, as a gimmick to sell cool-looking plastic toys to impressionable little boys like me. And I had them all. The Autobots, the Decepticons, even the Dinobots and Constructicons. Even now, in my 40’s, I remember their names and what they turned into. Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Swoop, and Snarl. Soundwave and Devastator and Starscream. I loved the Decepticons in particular. Something about Megatron taught me to love villains, so this movie struck a chord with me because it *IS* just as much about Megatron as Optimus Prime. Most people don’t realize this, but Megatron is a surprisingly deep character. And in Transformers One you get to relate to him. He ends up making sense. 

Rating:
All in all, Transformers One is very much worth watching. The legacy of Transformers is in good hands. This movie brought the franchise back to life. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars for the pacing, action, comedy, tragedy, and superb voice acting it carries in spades. Go see it. You won’t be disappointed. 

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